Hines

What does Hines own?
Hines owns and manages a portfolio of over 1,600 properties comprising over 540 million square feet across 30 countries. Notable properties include Williams Tower in Houston, The Galleria in Houston, CIBC Square in Toronto, and 101 California Street in San Francisco. The company manages approximately $93.2 billion in assets.

Is Hines publicly traded?
No, Hines is not publicly traded. The company is privately held and controlled by the Hines family. Jeff Hines, son of founder Gerald D. Hines, serves as Chairman. The company does not have shares listed on any stock exchange.

Who founded Hines?
Gerald D. Hines founded the company in 1957 in Houston, Texas. He started the real estate business as a side venture to his engineering partnership. Hines grew the company into one of the largest privately held real estate firms in the world. Gerald D. Hines died on August 23, 2020, at age 95.

Where is Hines headquartered?
Hines is headquartered in Houston, Texas, USA. The company has maintained its headquarters in Houston since its founding in 1957. Major regional offices are located in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo.

How many brands does Hines own?
Hines owns three major property brands listed on WhoBrands: Williams Tower, The Galleria, and CIBC Square. The company's portfolio includes many other notable properties, but these three represent its most iconic developments.

Who owns Hines?
Hines is privately owned by the Hines family. Jeff Hines (son of founder Gerald D. Hines) serves as Chairman, and Laura Hines-Pierce (granddaughter of the founder) serves as Co-CEO. Specific ownership percentages have not been publicly disclosed. The company has not taken on external equity investors at the corporate level, though individual property ventures are typically co-invested with institutional partners.

What is Hines' revenue?
Hines does not publicly disclose financial results because it is privately held. The company manages approximately $93.2 billion in assets, which generates management fees, development fees, and investment returns. Industry estimates place annual revenue in the range of $500 million to $1 billion, primarily from management fees and development profits.

Gerald D. Hines founded the company in 1957 in Houston, Texas. Hines had moved to Houston in 1948 to work as an engineer and started the real estate business as a side venture to his engineering partnership. The company's early projects were small, including warehouses and office buildings in the Houston area.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Hines expanded significantly. The company developed The Galleria in Houston, a landmark mixed-use complex featuring retail, hotels, and office space. The Galleria, which opened in 1970, was modeled after the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan and became a model for modern urban mixed-use development. The complex has been expanded multiple times and remains one of the largest mixed-use developments in the United States.

In 1983, Hines completed Williams Tower (originally named Transco Tower), a 64-story office tower in Houston designed by architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee. At 901 feet, it was the tallest building in Houston outside of downtown and became an iconic symbol of the city's skyline. The tower demonstrated Hines's ability to develop large-scale, architecturally significant office properties.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Hines expanded internationally. The company established offices in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, developing landmark properties in London, Paris, Madrid, Shanghai, and other major cities. Hines became known for its focus on architectural quality, often working with renowned architects including I.M. Pei, Cesar Pelli, and Norman Foster.

In 2007, Hines formed Hines Global Income Trust, a non-traded REIT that allows individual investors to access institutional-quality real estate. This vehicle expanded Hines's capital base beyond its traditional institutional investor relationships. Hines Global Income Trust had approximately $5.7 billion in assets as of 2025.

Gerald D. Hines died on August 23, 2020, at age 95. Under his leadership, the company had grown from a small Houston developer to one of the largest privately held real estate firms in the world. Leadership transitioned to his son Jeff Hines, who had been President and CEO since 2000, and later to granddaughter Laura Hines-Pierce as Co-CEO.

In 2021, Hines opened the first tower of CIBC Square in Toronto, a major mixed-use development co-developed with Ivanhoe Cambridge. The project demonstrated Hines's continued focus on transformative mixed-use developments in major metropolitan areas.

In 2024 and 2025, Hines continued to expand its logistics and residential portfolios, responding to shifts in commercial real estate demand. The company has increased its focus on life science properties, data centers, and residential developments as traditional office demand has softened post-pandemic.

As of 2026, Hines operates in 30 countries with approximately 5,000 employees and approximately $93.2 billion in assets under management. The company has approximately 156 developments underway globally.

Hines publishes an annual ESG report and has set targets for reducing carbon emissions across its portfolio. The company has committed to achieving net-zero operational carbon emissions by 2040. Hines reports its environmental data through GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) and has consistently scored above the real estate sector average.

The company's sustainability initiatives include energy efficiency retrofits, renewable energy procurement, green building certifications (LEED, BREEAM), and waste reduction programs. Hines has certified over 200 properties under LEED or comparable green building standards.

Hines is not a Certified B Corporation. The company's sustainability claims are self-reported in its annual ESG report. Some environmental metrics are verified through GRESB and LEED certifications, which involve third-party assessment.

On supply chain ethics, Hines maintains responsible contractor policies and requires construction partners to adhere to labor and environmental standards. The company has faced scrutiny over construction labor practices in some markets, though no major violations have been publicly reported.

Hines has received numerous industry awards for development quality, sustainability, and property management. The company has been recognized by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) for excellence in real estate development. Hines has received multiple LEED Platinum certifications for its properties.

The company has been recognized by GRESB as a sector leader for sustainability performance. Hines properties have received awards from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) for architectural excellence.

Hines has been named to Fortune's list of Best Workplaces in Real Estate. The company has appeared on Glassdoor's Best Places to Work lists in multiple countries.

Hines has not faced major regulatory action or public controversies. As a privately held real estate company, Hines operates with less public scrutiny than publicly traded REITs, but it is still subject to regulatory oversight in each market where it operates.

The company has faced routine regulatory matters related to building permits, zoning approvals, and environmental compliance in its development projects. These are standard in the real estate development industry and have not resulted in significant public controversy.

Hines has faced some scrutiny over its role in urban gentrification. Several of its large-scale mixed-use developments have been criticized for displacing lower-income residents and contributing to rising property values in surrounding neighborhoods. The company has responded with community benefit agreements and affordable housing commitments in some projects.

On labor practices, Hines has faced occasional disputes with building service workers (janitors, security guards, maintenance staff) at its managed properties. These workers are often employed by third-party contractors rather than Hines directly, creating a layer of separation. Labor unions including SEIU have organized campaigns at Hines-managed properties in several cities.

The company has not faced significant environmental violations. Hines's focus on green building certifications and sustainability reporting has generally insulated it from environmental criticism, though the carbon footprint of large office buildings remains an inherent challenge for the real estate industry.